April 10, 2018

The Daily Show: Scott Pruitt Takes Cabinet Scandals to a New Level

Scott Pruitt, the head of the EPA, comes under fire for a long list of scandals, primarily involving overspending with taxpayer money.

April 9, 2018

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Crisis pregnancy centers deceptively steer woman away from abortion. They can be started way too easily by religious groups like, for instance, a late night talk show’s megachurch.

April 8, 2018

SNL - Weekend Update on National Guard at Mexican Border

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, including President Donald Trump sending the National Guard to the Mexican border and Stormy Daniels being able to describe Trump's genitalia.



Mark Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica



Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Alex Moffat) addresses calls for his resignation after Facebook mishandled user data.



Weekend Update on New Security Measures in Parkland



Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, including students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School having to use clear backpacks and golfer Tony Finau spraining his ankle during the Masters Tournament.



Angel on the Royal Wedding



Angel, Every Boxer's Girlfriend from Every Movie About Boxing Ever (Heidi Gardner), has some words of advice for Meghan Markle.

April 8, 2018

SNL Cold Open: Donald Trump Baltic States

President Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) holds a press conference with the leaders of the Baltic states (Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Heidi Gardner).

April 8, 2018

Air pollution might be the new lead

Scientists now think it might put young brains at risk.

Sometimes air pollution is easy to see. It billows off the top of smoke stacks, and out the tailpipes of cars zooming down the highway. Misty smog hangs in the air in cities like Delhi, Beijing, and Los Angeles, fracturing sunlight into a muted haze.

Most of the time, though, dirty air just looks like air. About 92 percent of the world’s population, and more than half the people in the United States, live in areas with unhealthy air quality. The World Health Organization calls air pollution the world’s “largest single environmental health risk,” and it leads to the premature deaths of millions annually. It’s a major public health problem for reasons you might expect: breathing in dirty air isn’t good for your lungs, and the the connection between the lungs and the cardiovascular system means it puts pressure on your heart, too.

But it’s increasingly clear that the effects of air pollution aren’t constrained to body parts below the shoulders—they can hurt the brain in a whole host of ways, many of which researchers are still trying to understand. One major area of interest? The way exposure to polluted air can affect the cognitive development of babies and children. Researchers aren’t shocked to find that an environmental toxin could harm young brains, because they’ve seen it happen before.

“To me, air pollution is kind of the next lead, in a way,” says Deborah Cory-Slechta, a professor of environmental medicine at the University of Rochester.

Lead was everywhere throughout the start of the 20th century, readily used to make vacuums and paint and included as an ingredient in gasoline. It was known to be toxic, and concern over its health effects spurred fights for regulation, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that researchers linked even low levels of lead exposure to an increased risk for cognitive and behavioral problems in children—just as scientists are starting to do for air pollution now.

The parallel isn’t exact, but like lead, air pollution also disproportionately affects low income and minority communities. Like lead, air pollution is easy to put into the environment, and much harder to take out. “The more I do in this area, the bigger the problem seems to me,” Cory-Slechta says.


Much more: https://www.popsci.com/air-pollution-lead-poisoning-brain-development



The parallel isn't perfect, but studies suggest air pollution might have similar developmental effects. DepositPhotos

April 7, 2018

Oil on his mind: Saudi crown prince heads to Texas

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to meet with producers of crude, shale oil and petrochemicals while in Texas

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s stop in Houston on Saturday will shift his focus to Saudi Arabia's reliance on oil at a time when the kingdom looks to diversify its economy.

Houston often gets cited as the energy center of the United States, as the sprawling Texas city has thousands of refineries, petrochemical plants and natural gas fields.

It also has the largest refinery in the US - Motiva - which is owned by the kingdom’s oil company, Saudi Aramco. In addition, several giant energy companies – Shell, Exxon and others – have headquarters in Texas, and Houston in particular.

Ninety percent of the Saudi government's budget and 45 percent of its GDP come from oil exports. The crown prince told Time Magazine last week that the country plans to “produce much, much, much [more] — a lot of barrels in the future”.

While the specific reasons for bin Salman's visit to Houston remain murky and the Saudi consulate has yet to respond to MEE's inquiries, a number of experts say he will probaly talk about investing in shale – a different form of crude oil - and in petrochemicals.

“I presume that it’s to talk to industry [executives] and to promote inward investment into Saudi Arabia, as well as to talk a little bit about the kingdom and Saudi Aramco’s plans for further investment in the United States," a former Saudi Aramco executive, who wished to remain anonymous, told Middle East Eye.


Much more: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/oil-reigns-supreme-saudis-crown-prince-heads-texas-848330573



Motiva's oil refinery outside Houston - owned by Saudi Aramco - is largest in US (AFP)

April 7, 2018

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - 4/6/18

Monologue: Trump the Riffer



Bill recaps the top stories of the week including Russian sanctions, US troops moving to the border and Trump's tendancy to flip-flop.



Geraldo Rivera



Fox News correspondent and "The Geraldo Show" author Geraldo Rivera joins Bill to discuss his indefatigable support of President Trump.



I Don't Know It For a Fact...



"Long before Donald Trump was "hearing things," Bill Maher was making baseless assertions in a segment called "I Don't Know It For a Fact...I Just Know It's True."



Louie Anderson



Emmy-winning actor and comedian Louie Anderson speaks with Bill about playing a female character on 'Baskets' and America's approach to mental illness.



New Rule: Pencils Down



In a surprising move, Bill sticks up for children in his editorial New Rule.



Family Feuds, Mental Illness, Learning from Mistakes | Overtime



Bill and his guests – Geraldo Rivera, Heather McGhee, Max Boot, Eliot Spitzer, and Louie Anderson – answer viewer questions after the show.

April 7, 2018

Seth Meyers - Trump Traveling to Peru, Female Indiana Jones - Monologue - 4/5/18

Extreme Dog Shaming: Firing People Via Tweet, Biting Beyoncé



Seth shames some very bad dogs, including the one that refers to one of their cousins as "the hot cousin."



Seth's Favorite Jokes of the Week: Trump's Nickname for Obama, a Four-Eyed Lizard



Seth's favorite jokes from the week of April 2.

April 6, 2018

The Daily Show - Cecile Richards - How Planned Parenthood is Faring Under President Trump 1/25/18

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards talks about protecting access to birth control under President Trump and explains how white feminism can be more inclusive.

April 6, 2018

Seth Meyers - Trump Breaks Silence on Stormy Daniels as Russia Probe Heats Up: A Closer Look

Seth takes a closer look at Trump floating the possibility of shuffling his Cabinet and breaking his silence on the Stormy Daniels scandal as the Russia investigation heats up.